%%%%%%%%
%%%% %%%%
%% %%
% %
% %
% the glass factory. %
% %
% %
%% %%
%%%% %%%%
%%%%%%%%
.......~-* several centuries after it had last *-~.......
........~- belonged to us, we went on an outing to -~........
.........~ the glass factory that bore our family ~.........
.......... name. it had changed owners many times ..........
.........~ since our ancestors death, and then ~.........
........~- stood abandoned for a long while. -~........
.......~-* finally, the natural end station for *-~.......
......~-*% the buildings that survive: a museum, %*-~......
.....~-*%£ and a gift shop. £%*-~.....
....~-*%£# #£%*-~....
...~-*%£## there's a long time since my family ##£%*-~...
..~-*%£### made anything. by many, we would be ###£%*-~..
.~-*%£#### considered poor. ####£%*-~.
..~-*%£### ###£%*-~..
...~-*%£## there are two main factory buildings, ##£%*-~...
....~-*%£# domed things of several floors, made in #£%*-~....
.....~-*%£ yellow brick. large but narrow windows, £%*-~.....
......~-*% reminescent of some cathedral. %*-~......
.......~-* custom-made glass, of course, large and *-~.......
........~- leaded, and ashen. a bit too dark to be -~........
.........~ practical. on the eastern building, ~.........
.......... some are shattered. ..........
.........~ ~.........
........~- the other one is publicly open. there's -~........
.......~-* a museum, with wax figures of my great *-~.......
......~-*% great great grandfather, or something. %*-~......
.....~-*%£ various tools (or replicas) laid out on £%*-~.....
....~-*%£# tables, with explaining texts. a lot of #£%*-~....
...~-*%£## glass of varying thickness. ##£%*-~...
..~-*%£### ###£%*-~..
.~-*%£#### %% ####£%*-~.
..~-*%£### %% %% ###£%*-~..
...~-*%£## ------- % % ------- ##£%*-~...
....~-*%£# %% %% #£%*-~....
.....~-*%£ %% £%*-~.....
......~-*% %*-~......
.......~-* i quickly sneak out, and climb into the *-~.......
........~- other building. the contrast is -~........
.........~ overwhelming. it must have stood ~.........
.......... derelict for a long time, windows ..........
.........~ broken, metallic trash and pools of ~.........
........~- dark glass all over the floor. no -~........
.......~-* electric lights, but i can see by the *-~.......
......~-*% light that shines in wherever the dark %*-~......
.....~-*%£ windows are missing a pane. £%*-~.....
....~-*%£# #£%*-~....
...~-*%£## however, the greatest difference is the ##£%*-~...
..~-*%£### higher floors: this building has none. ###£%*-~..
.~-*%£#### it is one massive hall, stretching away ####£%*-~.
..~-*%£### infinitely above me. somewhere up there ###£%*-~..
...~-*%£## is some great iron latticework, from ##£%*-~...
....~-*%£# where chains are suspended, and parts #£%*-~....
.....~-*%£ of machinery has been falling down. £%*-~.....
......~-*% %*-~......
.......~-* there is, in the middle of the great *-~.......
........~- hall, a thin spiral staircase that -~........
.........~ leads up there. i sneak over there, and ~.........
.......... take a few reluctant steps. after just ..........
.........~ a revolution, i notice that for each ~.........
........~- step the building starts to glow, the -~........
.......~-* bricks turning a dark red, and then *-~.......
......~-*% orange, all the piled up debree being %*-~......
.....~-*%£ lit from behind. £%*-~.....
....~-*%£# #£%*-~....
...~-*%£## i stop ready to run down and out, but ##£%*-~...
..~-*%£### there's someone else on the staircase ###£%*-~..
.~-*%£#### with me now, pressed close. he's ####£%*-~.
..~-*%£### looking like me, short hair and thin ###£%*-~..
...~-*%£## arms, but with ears from some animal, ##£%*-~...
....~-*%£# and more disturbingly, completely made #£%*-~....
.....~-*%£ of dark liquid glass. £%*-~.....
......~-*% %*-~......
.......~-* %% *-~.......
........~- %% %% -~........
.........~ ------- % % ------- ~.........
.......... %% %% ..........
.........~ %% ~.........
........~- -~........
.......~-* my fear holds me in place while he *-~.......
......~-*% starts operating levers and dials set %*-~......
.....~-*%£ in the center of the staircase. slowly, £%*-~.....
....~-*%£# it starts spinning, circling upwards. #£%*-~....
...~-*%£## it's an elevator! i start to run ##£%*-~...
..~-*%£### downwards, but now the liquid boy ###£%*-~..
.~-*%£#### creature grabs hold of me. i try to ####£%*-~.
..~-*%£### shake him off, but he's too strong, and ###£%*-~..
...~-*%£## pulls me back up beside him. ##£%*-~...
....~-*%£# #£%*-~....
.....~-*%£ this time, i turn angry instead. what £%*-~.....
......~-*% the hell? who is this guy, acting like %*-~......
.......~-* this? i reach out my free arm and slam *-~.......
........~- a random lever. some metal bar is -~........
.........~ suddenly released between us, hitting ~.........
.......... him on the arm, forcing my release. i ..........
.........~ shove him off of me, and he falls into ~.........
........~- the levers, messing them up. -~........
.......~-* immediately, a thin rusty chainmail *-~.......
......~-*% curtain is dropped around me. but the %*-~......
.....~-*%£ elevator also speeds up significantly. £%*-~.....
....~-*%£# #£%*-~....
...~-*%£## the walls are flaring now, yellow, ##£%*-~...
..~-*%£### white, almost blue. i close my eyes and ###£%*-~..
.~-*%£#### curl into a ball. but then, the glass ####£%*-~.
..~-*%£### boy screams, a piercing sound that ###£%*-~..
...~-*%£## forces my eyes back open. i watch as he ##£%*-~...
....~-*%£# becomes too liquid, his body pooling #£%*-~....
.....~-*%£ down in his now massive tail, and the £%*-~.....
......~-*% tip of it suddenly breaks of in a glass %*-~......
.......~-* drop that falls toward the factory *-~.......
........~- floor. -~........
.........~ ~.........
.......... he's crawling on the stairs, unable to ..........
.........~ keep his body upright. can't reach the ~.........
........~- levers, claws at my chainmail cage, -~........
.......~-* while his body is turning into dark *-~.......
......~-*% pearls. finally, he's lost too much of %*-~......
.....~-*%£ himself and the scream is cut short. £%*-~.....
....~-*%£# the last of him rains down. #£%*-~....
...~-*%£## ##£%*-~...
..~-*%£### i still can't reach the levers from ###£%*-~..
.~-*%£#### within my cage. looking up, i try to ####£%*-~.
..~-*%£### make out the ceiling, but it's all a ###£%*-~..
...~-*%£## whirling sea of colours. below me glows ##£%*-~...
....~-*%£# the hellfire of the factory walls, but #£%*-~....
.....~-*%£ very faint. i sit down, curl back up, £%*-~.....
......~-*% become still. %*-~......
.......~-* *-~.......
........~- %% -~........
.........~ %% %% ~.........
.......... ------- % % ------- ..........
.........~ %% %% ~.........
........~- %% -~........
.......~-* *-~.......
......~-*% a large clunk shakes my entire body, %*-~......
.....~-*%£ and snaps me back into reality. i'm £%*-~.....
....~-*%£# back at the factory floor, but the #£%*-~....
...~-*%£## stairs are still moving slightly, ##£%*-~...
..~-*%£### clicking in place, carrying me the last ###£%*-~..
.~-*%£#### few centimeters. i came from below, ####£%*-~.
..~-*%£### somehow. the chainmail is retracted, ###£%*-~..
...~-*%£## and i slowly dismount the stairs. ##£%*-~...
....~-*%£# #£%*-~....
.....~-*%£ shaking and crying, i make my way over £%*-~.....
......~-*% the factory floor, wading through dark %*-~......
.......~-* glass marbles. a quick glance down, and *-~.......
........~- i see there's something faint inside -~........
.........~ them. embryos? are these eggs? ~.........
.......... ..........
.........~ i shudder, and climb back out. ~.........
%%
%% %%
% %
%% %%
%%